In September, our friend and supporter Natty will be cycling solo from Brighton covering 2,000 miles around the UK. He will be cycling to the most northerly point on mainland Britain, Dunnet Head in Scotland, before returning back home to Brighton.
He will be carrying everything he needs for the trip on his bike and relying on the kindness of others. If you see natty out on the roads give him a cheer – he’s a real star!
We caught up with a rather “saddle sore” Natty to find out about his challenge and what it means to him.
Natty is cycling under the banner of the Acorn Project – as the saying goes big things grow from small acorns. We are so happy to have him raising awareness and funds for us at Grassroots, and we are happier to class him as a friend.
Natty offered these reflections:
“I am supporting Grassroots as I feel they are playing a really important role in society by providing people with the training, skills and resources to help prevent suicide, self-harm and help with severe mental illness.
For someone like me who has suffered from all the above I have realised the importance of being able to speak out about my own mental health. I find that sharing and being open about our own vulnerabilities often sparks conversations, which then allows us to help each other.
I believe we need to break down stigmas surrounding mental health and start open conversations. So, this is why I’ve decided to cycle 2,000 miles around the UK for Grassroots. I hope by riding and talking openly to strangers about mental health I can do my part in trying to highlight the importance of this.
I am currently in recovery and this ride will be to aid this process and to help others know recovery is possible from suicidal thoughts. This is something Grassroots and I strongly agree on – cycling has played a massive part in my recovery process and I also want to promote it as a way to help with our mental health and wellbeing.”
If you would like to sponsor Natty’s cycle in aid of Grassroots please visit the link below:
